<p>So I'm a US citizen, but I'm currently studying in India for High School. I'm in the 11th grade, and now I'm looking for admission into US universities.</p>
<p>For admissions and financial aid, will I be considered as a US citizen or a international student?</p>
<p>I attended the collegeboard 'webinar' yesterday, and they said that US citizens studying abroad are treated as international students in terms of admission application timings, but are taken as US citizens for financial aid. This seems too idealistic.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Thank you so much. (It's my first time on this site btw)</p>
<p>For admissions and financial aid purposes, you will be considered a US citizen. This means that colleges will be need blind to you in the admissions process.</p>
<p>However, you application will most likely be read by the regional admissions rep who reads international applications of students from India (and you will be considered an international applicant, because you are applying outside of the US).</p>
<p>You are NOT considered as international applicant. You are considered as a DOMESTIC applicant. For example, the admission selectivity will be the same for you and a US Citizen living in the US. However, your application can be read by an ad officer who reads intl applicant from India</p>
<p>as toughman says, you will be considered a domestic applicant, because you are a US Citizen - the same “rules” apply to you as to any other US applicant. Financial Aid will be the same for you as for other US Citizens (that’s where the need blind comes in - most colleges will be need blind for you, where they are usually not for international applicants).</p>
<p>He is also right that your application is likely to be read by the admissions officer who deals with international applicants from India (at least the first read). That only makes sense, because that is who will be familiar with schools in India, and what your grades mean in that context. Once you make tht person’s first cut, you will be compared to other US applicants, rather than as part of the international pool.</p>
<p>Great. If I’m not mistaken, international admissions start in December or January, so what you’re saying is I apply then, and then at that time the universities compare my application with other US citizens, instead of comparing with International applicants?</p>
<p>Don’t listen to the people at the CollegeBoard. The information you were given is inaccurate.</p>
<p>1) You are a US applicant for financial aid purposes. Get familiar now with the FAFSA so that your parents can track down the financial information that will need to be supplied. For ideas on that, see the Financial Aid Forum.</p>
<p>2) DO PLEASE let each of the colleges that you are applying know very early in the process that you are a US citizen living abroad. Some of them will have different steps that you will need to take because of that.</p>
<p>3) Each college and university sets its own admission policy and procedures. Do not be surprised if every place you apply to has something different that you will need to do.</p>
<p>4) Read through everything at <a href=“https://www.educationusa.info/[/url]”>https://www.educationusa.info/</a> Some will not apply to you because you are a citizen, but some will. Then get in touch with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. There are scads of US citizens just like you in India who apply to colleges and universities here. If no one at your local advising center has worked with a US citizen lately, they can help you find someone at another center who has: <a href=“https://www.educationusa.info/India[/url]”>https://www.educationusa.info/India</a> EducationUSA is a not-for-profit organization. You will get accurate, unbiased information there. Any fees charged will go directly to maintaining that office.</p>
<p>5) Spend a bit of time in the India sub-forum of the International Students Forum. Some of the other US citizens in India have posted there in the past. You will get some useful ideas reading through what they have to say.</p>
<p>DO NOT USE THE INTERNATIONAL CUT-OFF DATES!</p>
<p>Contact each of your colleges/universities, and ASK THEM when you should apply because you are a US student abroad. Then use the dates you have been specifically instructed to use.</p>
<p>Yes you are a US applicant for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>That means you can file the FAFSA and you will have access to federally determined financial aid for which the FAFSA results qualify you, including Pell, Perkins (if your college offers it), federal/Stafford loans, and federal work-study. You will not need to demonstrate that you can cover the full costs of your education in order to come here to study - non-citizens do need to do that to get their student visas.</p>
<p>You also will be able to work anywhere on or off campus without limit because you are a citizen, you will be able to take summer internships and summer jobs anywhere because you are a citizen, and you will be able to get a job here anywhere because you are a citizen. These are huge advantages over international students.</p>
<p>If your family owns property in the US, you might be able to qualify as an in-state student in the state where they own that property. Check the rules for the public colleges and universities in that state. If you are careful about your choice of state to study in, you might be able to move there, get a job, and support yourself for a year and thus establish in-state residence for tuition and fees at one or more of the public colleges and universities in that state. Again, you need to investigate this on a state-by-state and even institution-by-institution basis.</p>
<p>Another thing I wanted to ask: most of my friends in the US are actually going to check out the universities of their choice. Is that a big deal? Because I’m obviously not able to do that :P</p>
<p>Hi there,
I’m actually an Indian looking forward to apply to US universities this year. Did you study the IB syllabus. If not, which one did you study. And what’s your preferred major? What colleges are you applying to? Any questions about local stuff, I’ll be happy to help. :)</p>
<p>And yeah, you could use <a href=“http://www.collegeweeklive.com%5B/url%5D”>www.collegeweeklive.com</a> I use the same. Much more economical than visiting the univs. (But you’ll never get that feel of visiting the campus) Also, the timings for universities coming online are a little problematic (11:30 pm - 7:30 am IST)</p>
<p>Nope, I didn’t do IB. I’m doing ISC (ISCE)
Maybe come over to the India forum under The International Students Forum, I made a thread to discuss ;)</p>
<p>To add to what HappyMom said, which is all true, your high school transcript will be reviewed by an admissions officer/reader who is familiar with the school system of India (ie an international admissions counselor). In every other way, though, you are a “domestic” applicant, including in your eligibility for financial aid, work, and scholarships. To apply for financial aid, your family will need to file taxes much earlier than the usual “Americans abroad” deadline, and some things (iDocs for example) might need to be couriered rather than submitted online or via fax. So stay on top of each school’s deadlines for both admissions & financial aid - that’s my advice from first-hand experience.</p>
<p>(Our D will start her freshman year at a state university this fall, as an in-state resident, although we’ve lived abroad for 10 years.)</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure where to make my first thread, I posted it in two places. Since this thread has less replies, I’ll share a link to the other thread I made with more replies. happymom has replied there too.</p>
<p>Even though I am a US citizen, SUPPOSE my dad hasn’t been paying the state taxes, and only Indian taxes, will I still be eligible for federal financial aid?</p>
<p>I can’t stress enough how important fin aid is for me. My dad is on Indian salary (which isn’t much) and I have a younger brother as well.</p>
<p>^So actually, my dad has been paying federal US taxes, although he is not paying California state taxes (we used to live there). Does that mean I’m not eligible for in-state financial aid?</p>